It's all about the tires: Pirelli plan on hold

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Formula One's 2013 tires supplied by Pirelli have come under intense scrunity in terms of performance and safety.

Story highlights

Pirelli put plans to introduce new race tires at next month's Canadian Grand Prix on hold

Each of the 11 teams will instead try out development tires in the first practice session

Pirelli wants to change tires to stop delaminations

Mercedes face an FIA investigation over involvement in tire test

Formula One is supposed to be about drivers racing fast cars, but this season it seems to be all about the tires.

There have been complaints from teams and drivers, with an official investigation also underway over a development test, while the latest twist involves Pirelli putting its plan on hold to introduce new race tires at next month's Canadian Grand Prix.

Instead, each of the 22 drivers will be given two sets of development medium compound tires to try out during the first practice session at the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit in Montreal on 7 June.

A statement by the Italian manufacturer explained: "The Formula One teams will have an opportunity to test the new range of Pirelli tires during free practice at the Canadian Grand Prix, while the tires used for the actual race will remain in their original 2013 specification.

"Following feedback from the teams and drivers, the new specification of tire is then set to be introduced from the British Grand Prix at the end of June, and will remain in place until the end of the year."

Often dismissed by the sport's protagonists as the "black things in the corners," those spheres of rubber have very much moved to F1's center stage.

The German team, who are based in Oxfordshire, England, helped Pirelli carry out a three-day tire test in Barcelona immediately after the Spanish Grand Prix but controversially the team used race drivers Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton and their 2013 car.